How to Save a Broken Hollandaise Sauce

Saving a broken hollandaise sauce is really easy. If you should run into that problem, just follow these easy steps:

3 tbsp cold water or white wine

2 tsp corn starch

Whisk together the corn starch and cold water or white wine in a stainless steel bowl.

Place the bowl over the heat source you used when starting the hollandaise sauce - either a double boiler or direct heat.

Whisk well until the starch mixture becomes firm and pasty.

Remove from heat and slowly whisk your broken hollandaise into the pasty mixture one tablespoon at a time.

Steak for Two with Lemon Thyme Sauce

One Prime Porterhouse or Prime Sirloin Strip steak,  20 - 24 oz

1 tbsp salad oil, one with a high smoke point

2 tbsp margarine

6 sprigs fresh thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt

1 fresh lemon

Liberally pepper and salt the steak 20 minutes before cooking.

Heat your oven to 500 degrees.

Heat a 10 -12 inch sauté pan over medium-high heat until pan becomes very hot.

Add the oil and then the steak.

Cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

Turn steak over and place in oven for 5-7 minutes, depending on how well done you want your steak.

Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes.

With a pot holder, carefully hold the sauté pan and discard the remaining fat.

Return the pan to your burner on medium heat.

Slice the lemon in half and place the sliced side face down in your pan.

Add the thyme and margarine and sauté until the the margarine fully dissolves and just starts to foam.

Slice the steak and portion.

Spoon the sauce over the steak and garnish with the half lemon and thyme sprigs.

Chili with Chocolate

Chili with Chocolate

Serves Eight

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. dried Roman beans

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, medium diced 

1 large Cuban pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

16 oz diced tomato with juice

1/2 cup ground chili spice

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper (1 tsp equals two alarm fire, 2 tsp equals 3 alarm fire, zero is a false alarm)

1 and 1/2 tbsp of maze flour

5 chocolate truffles

2 lb. shredded Mexican cheese blend

Salt to taste

To save on cooking time, in a stainless bowl cover the beans with cold water and soak for one hour before you start the cooking process.

In an 8-10 quart pot, heat the olive oil.

Add the onions, peppers and garlic and sauté for about 4 minutes.

Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until all the meat is browned.

Add tomatoes and spices and mix well.

Add the beans with any remaining water.

Add additional water, enough to completely cover the beans.

Over medium heat bring the entire mixture to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 1.5 hours until the beans are tender.

Add the chocolate truffles and salt to taste.

Stir to dissolve all the chocolate.

Place in individual casserole dishes and top with two ounces of the shredded cheese.

Brown under broiler and serve.

Several garnishes that your guests can stir into the chili include:

Diced whole scallions with green parts

Diced peppers, red and green

Freshly chopped tomato's 

Fat free sour cream

Additional shredded cheese

Bowl of Taco chips for dipping

**If you choose to make the false alarm recipe, you may want to have some diced HOT peppers for any guests that like spicy food. 

This recipe is a great source of fiber and low in fat and sodium.

Planked Salmon on Cedar

Serves One

1 - 8oz Salmon filet

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp orange zest

Pinch of ground rosemary

Ground pepper to taste

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp teriyaki sauce

1 cedar board approximately 8 x 24 inches and about 3/8 of an inch thick.

On a separate plate, rub the olive oil into the top flesh of the salmon.

Evenly spread the garlic and orange zest.

Season with rosemary and pepper.

Drizzle the soy and teriyaki over the top of the filet.

Soak your cedar board for twenty minutes in water or beer.

Place the seasoned salmon filets on the board.

Place the board on top of a medium heat BBQ grill or you may place the board on a metal sheet pan and place in a 400 degree oven.

Cook for approximately ten minutes, then serve.

Any of your favorite sauces will go well with this recipe. For this particular photo, I made a teriyaki dipping sauce, flavored with orange juice, chopped garlic and ginger. I finished by whisking in a teaspoon of sesame oil. A Hollandaise sauce seasoned with flavoring from your marinade will also work well. Ground pepper to taste. 

Braised Boar Roast Csaba Style

Serves Four

For this recipe I used a mini boar roast from a company called D’Artagnan. If you prefer, you may use a pork loin roast with 4-6 bones. 

1 1/2 lb boar roast

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 tsp red paprika 

1/2 tsp ground, brandied black peppercorns 

1 bay leaf

4 oz red wine

12 oz beef stock

1/2 lb Hungarian smoked hard sausage from Csaba, or smoked ham hock

4 to 6 whole peeled potatoes

For White Wash:

2 tsp potato starch

2 oz red wine

In a cast iron pot, heat the oil. Add roast and brown on all sides.

Remove roast and add the onions and garlic. 

Sauté 3-4 minutes until soft.

Remove from heat and stir in the paprika, pepper, bay leaf, wine and beef stock. 

Return to heat and return the roast back to the pot. 

Add the smoked sausage or ham hock to the pot.

Cover and simmer slow and low for two hours.

Add the potatoes around the roast and place in a 375 degree oven for one hour, making sure to baste the potatoes every 15 minutes.

If the pot liquids begin to dry up, add a little water to maintain the sauce.

Remove the roast and potatoes from the pot and thicken the sauce with a white wash of 2 tsp of potato starch and 2 oz of red wine, blended well.

Add the white wash to the pot drippings and simmer for two minutes.

Carve roast and serve with one potato and a coating of your pan gravy.

For this recipe I also served red cabbage and a roasted beet salad.

Zabaglione

Serves six

This elegant cream mousse, Italian in origin, is rich, creamy and very satisfying. It can be served as a finishing sauce over desserts, on top of cakes or with sliced fresh berries. You may also serve it alone as a dessert mousse in a champagne glass.

12 egg yolks

6 tbsp sugar

6 oz Marsala wine

In a stainless steel bowl whisk the yolks, sugar and Marsala until they are well blended and creamy.

Place the bowl over a simmering double boiler on low heat and whisk until thick and creamy. 

Serve hot in a champagne glass or as mentioned above with berries or cake.

Potatoes Amandine

Serves Six

3 large baked Idaho potatoes 

6 eggs

1/4 lb butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 lb sliced almonds

Salt and pepper to taste 

Heat the butter in a small casserole. Add the flour and water and stir briskly until  smooth. Remove from fire. Add four eggs and mix well, really working the entire mixture. Cut the baked potatoes in half and scoop out the insides. Grind through a meat grinder or ricer and season with salt and pepper. Add the potato mix to the flour mixture and blend well. This creates a sort of dough which you then roll in the shape of a baton. 

Important Note: This dough rolls easier if made in advance and chilled a day before preparation.

Slice the baton into two inch long pieces.

Dip each piece into flour and then into the remaining two beaten eggs and roll in almonds. 

Fry in oil for about two minutes.

This crispy, crunchy delicacy is far removed from the usual mashed potatoes.

This recipe can easily be made in advance. At Petite I would prepare hundreds at a time and hold for service until needed.